Severe Flu Season Tightens Its Grip on U.S.

U.S. health officials are warning of one of the most severe flu seasons in years, with 46 states affected, reports HealthDay News . Anti-flu medications are in short supply as flu cases spike; furthermore, many hospitals are suffering a shortage of intravenous bags containing fluids that deliver medicine to treat dehydrated people, since many bags are manufactured by factories in Puerto Rico, which is still coping with power outages from Hurricane Maria. Lynette Brammer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) flu division says although flu drugs are available nationally, "in areas hard hit by flu the local pharmacy may not have them." In addition, Brammer notes the flu vaccine does not match well with the H3N2 strain that is prevalent in the current season. The CDC estimates 80 percent of reported flu cases so far are of the H3N2 strain. Dr. Matthew Mullarky at St. Joseph Hospital in Orange, Calif., says half the patients he saw on a recent shift were so ill they required hospitalization, with most older than 85 and struggling with both the flu and pneumonia. Stony Brook Medicine's Dr. Bettina Fries notes in New York state, most persons going into the hospital for flu are either very young or older than 65. "Nowadays, a lot of people get treated for diseases like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus or cancer treatments, which makes them at higher risk for complications from flu," Fries says. "It's been shown in these persons that vaccination, even if it doesn't prevent them from getting the flu, they will have a milder case and that's highly beneficial."